Daybreak
by Creax
Summary: [Severe AU] Separated from his sister since childhood, Ran inherited a strange power that forbidden him to touch anyone, for fear of killing them. But what makes this certain young stranger so special? What does he know about Aya?
1. Prologue

**Daybreak**

Prologue

* * *

"Do you think it is beautiful to you, Ran?"

"What is?"

"A daybreak."

"The first light of a new day?"

"Yes."

"You know the answer, Ken."

"I know?"

"… Yes."

His lips slowly curled up into a small smile on his face.

"I…know…"

"You know."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** An unwanted prologue? I had always wanted a special cliffhanging short prologue. Now this idea sounded dumb. Or is it… ? 


	2. Chapter 1: Ice Within

**Weiss Kreuz does not belong to me.**

**Pairings**: Ran/Ken? You'll have to follow me till the end to know. (winks)

**Timeline:** Ancient China with a big, BIG twist.

**Any types of reviews are warmly welcomed! Please do comment, so I can improve.**

"_Italics"_ – thoughts.

"…" – dialogues.

**_Italics with boldness_** – emphasis.

**Author's Notes**: HI! My first ever try in an **_AU/FANTASY _**storyline associated with Weiss. Bear with me 'cause I know it may turn out… **unprofessional**. I'm trying a mixture of genres here – romance (maybe), humor (maybe), action (might) and along the way you'll know. Not the usual low monotonous mysterious tone many fantasy stories would use. But hey, it's good too. I enjoyed it.

Some original naming in here sounds stupid I know. But all I wanted was simplicity.

* * *

**Daybreak**

_Supposing life's a momentary dream  
__It would be like a flower  
Even if destined to fall  
It is all the more precious for its transience_

**Chapter 1 **

Ice Within

The sun set steadily. Its fingered-like rays that stretched right across the broad sky, painting streaks of dull orangey-red, slowly retreated too. Curtains of pit dark night sky were as if pulled by the setting rays of the sleepy sun, and very soon the sun bade farewell and the crescent moon bathed the Earth with its feeble pale silvery rays. Certain parts were lit, some hidden in darkness, and a very lucky farm was brightly shone at.

This particular small farm belonged to a family of four. They were extremely contented and thankful to own a farm dedicated to their survival, sometimes extras were traded to the nearby village for other types of food they didn't know how to grow. All was enough and the children were taught not to be greedy.

There was also a field that seemed to stretch endlessly. It was all for themselves, to enjoy, to run, to play… the two children named it "Colorful Heaven" because it was not only green but filled with so many types of flowers. Unfortunately, their farm was isolated by an extremely deep dangerous valley (they lived in the countryside), in which a crystal blue river flowed through so silently. On the other side, the Black Forest further broke down their accessibility to the main village.

Why called Black Forest, you ask?

It wasn't just another fancy meaningless name given for fun.

From the bird's eye view, only densely packed treetops could be seen. They were so close to each other's, one might even imagined inside would be totally inaccessible. Ever heard of this saying: "Never judge a book by its cover"? It only looked inaccessible; in actual fact, inside the forest was abundant with walking space.

What about the color of the leaves? Each and every single screamed with individuality. Never one could find another similar, except for its shape. Ah, what uniqueness. It was truly one of a kind. It'd start out oval-broad at the bottom and all the way up, nearly like tear-shaped, except that instead of having only one pointed edge it became three. On the very center of the leaf, there'd be a sign shaped and colored differently. These signs, villagers feared terribly, for they said the cursed leaves could read a person's mind and in particular, what they craved most. Whatever one's heart held most, the sign, or rather the Chinese character that resembles, would fall onto their palms and…

Gone. People mysteriously vanished. It was as if the forest wanted to cleanse the place, consuming those dark-hearted who craved for undesirable wishes. Rumors had sparked, when a child's ability was tested, and she could travel far in and returned back safely in one piece. This child's heart held nothing but purity, innocence, and warmness…

And it breathed, literally. The whole forest would sway together as one, alive. It watched you, your every step; it'd listen to your heart pounding, feed on your darkest wishes… No matter how bright the sun shone with all its strength, none of the strong rays could penetrate successfully past the thick uppermost layer of the trees, leaving the insides of the forest to be of somewhat eternal darkness. No matter how hot the days could be, the forest's atmosphere will always stay icy cold, damp, and misty.

Nevertheless, never, **_never ever_**, even turn a single glance at it at nights…especially under full moon.

You'd know why _soon_…

**XXXXXX**

"Ran! Aya!"

Aya walked hurriedly, as fast as her legs could and her walking stick could guide her to where her mother was, in the kitchen.

"Yes, mother?" Aya asked in between short breaths. Without stopping her chopping of the onions to turn around, her mother replied, "Hm, where's Ran?"

Aya did not answer back straightaway, but instead listened intently to her mother's random movements. Nothing slipped past her excellent sense of hearing. Absolutely not even the slightest sound.

Aya was born blind. That would explain the walking stick, didn't it? She was only 8 and yet acted like a matured teenager. She spoke truly what her heart told her. Having overcame those difficulties of being blind so extraordinarily quick sometimes strangers thought she'd pass off as being a wholly normal one. As for being the older sister around in the house, most of the time she'd be with little Ran and took care of him more then their mother would. Not because their mother didn't love them, but had to tend to the vegetable fields and occasionally to the fruits section, which took most of daytime to finish.

Somehow she knew within her held another hidden gift. She would let time reveal it slowly and not rush into knowing what it'd turn out to be. By then, she knew she'd be ready to face it.

"Your culinary skills are wonderful, mother. Improving day by day. I can _see_ it." Aya finally replied impressed from what she could gather from just hearing her mother's chopping.

Her mother chuckled, "Dear, you _hear_, not _see_. Do I have to remind you?" and poured her finely chopped onions into her boiling soup bubbling beside her on the blackened aged stove.

"Trust me. I can _see_ much more then you all ever could." Aya smiled.

"It's becoming your habit! Oh, and please do call my dear little Ran to come in now… it's getting very chilly outside." She finally turned around and looked at her precious daughter standing at the doorway to the entrance of the kitchen. Aya held onto her walking stick, bowed slightly with agreement and went off to find her younger brother out in their "Colorful Heaven".

**XXXXXX**

Stars flooded the night sky. Twinkling randomly, they were as if trying to communicate with this particular little redheaded boy lying flat on his back with the dancing flowers, staring at them with so much interest. His right hand was stretched out towards the sky, wiggling his small short fingers; time and again he tried to catch hold of one of those beautiful shiny diamonds in the sky. He wanted to impress his parents so that they could shower him with praises. His heart ached at that thought. The only person who truly understood him well was his older sister. To him, Aya was more of a mother then sister. Always by his side no matter what. She would nag a little, but he felt loved. Someone actually cared for him.

He didn't know his mother always loved her two children no matter how little time she spent together with them. Ran was only 6, clearly too young to understand such matters.

"There you are, Ran!" The caressing wind carried her breathless voice. Ran felt a little guilty for letting his blind sister wandering around in the dark, finding for him. He must apologize to her. He got up and ran quickly to where her lantern's light source shone.

"I'm so sorry, sis." Ran apologized sincerely with all his heart.

"Sis… ?" Ran's voice shook a little, tugging her cloak near her waist level as his height only reached up to just around level with her stomach. Still, she stood there without a word. His sister's face was hidden under the overly huge cloak's hood. Besides that, it was very dark and the lantern's dim candlelight wasn't bright enough to light their surroundings. He wasn't sure if she was angry or … he couldn't find a correct word to describe. She had remained silent.

Ran was so preoccupied with guessing his sister's current mood, constantly peering up to her hood, which seemed to be shrouded together in darkness around them. Aya seized this perfect chance to play a small trick on her little brother. This will be the moment. Slowly, she raised her free arm silently behind him to …

"Got you!" She declared teasingly.

… scare him.

"Aya!"

Ran's eyes began to feel a little wet as timid tears started building up, a few streaked down his chubby face uncontrollably. He didn't find it funny at all; it was … awful, especially in this eerie darkness.

"Ran? Ran… are you crying again?" Aya sensed the boy's unusual quietness.

"Sobbing silently again I must say." Her touch traveled to his face, her fingers caressing his tear-dampened cheeks, attempting to dry the flowing warm tears against the cold tender skin. She felt him tightening his grip on her cloak.

"I'm s-sorry, b-b-but y-y-you startle-d-d me-e." Ran sputtered in the midst of hiccups, the flow of words quite distorted. Aya sighed with a hint of amusement. She pulled him closer and wrapped on arm around his shoulders. Ran buried his head deep against her warm stomach area, tears dried.

"Who did you think I was, the Seek—"

Even before the older sister had the chance to finish what she was hoping to say teasingly, her younger brother suddenly rejected his sister's hug and gapped dumbfounded at his sister's carelessness with her words.

"You almost said the most dreaded word! We are not allowed to joke playfully about them! We-arenotfarfrom_wheretheyroam_!" His words were faster then a train and particularly the last part where sounded rush and squeaky as he ran out of breath. Aya quickly placed one finger on his lips to silence him.

**XXXXXX**

The Seekers were nature's evil creation. They were breed in the heart of Black Forest. Who gave them life no one knows, for those who dared to venture in and find the truth did not return, or so from housewives' tales in that village. Seekers normally never leave the defined borders for no reason unless it was the accursed full moon nights or some 'tough' teenager decides to prove to his group of 'friends' that he wasn't any coward and stepped across that hard-to-avoid white border lining on the grass. Apparently the border was long been there even before the setting up of a village. So that teenager thought it was bravery he was conveying to his friends who might be 'ooohed-ing' and 'ahhhed-ing' at him with… awe? He should have noticed the true expressions instead, which were covered up with all the fake cheering. But when the Seekers came into full view right behind the teenager, his friends gave up and screamed, some tripping over themselves before picking themselves up again and escaped, leaving the poor individual there, realizing his worst fear. He turned around slowly to meet…

They were hooded to the top of their head, cloaked to the tip of their feet (at least he hoped they had legs…), covered right to their supposing to exist fingertips… The cloak's hood was so huge, what was visible underneath becomes hidden in darkness. Its' head could not be seen…

The air around them ceased to be warm. Icy numbing coldness was felt. The boy could do nothing more but still stared, mouth opened and gapped fearfully. His knees were shaking so uncontrollably; it was the fear and coldness's fault. His breathing paced faster, in out in out in out, his lungs might malfunction anytime soon. Each time he exhaled, the hot breath became a small mist of visible cold vapor and the Seeker sucked it in with a satisfied sigh accompanied.

And then it was about time the boy noticed the distance between his face to the Seeker's hood was only merely a cm apart…

**XXXXXX**

"Have you been abusing your trips to the village lately? You go there to exchange food, not pick up nonsensical tales from those nothing-better-to-do housewives."

"I-did-not!" Ran snapped back angrily. Aya merely shrugged and continued, "Then don't believe in those hogwash okay? Listen to me." She pushed her hood down to reveal her face and also it was getting hot under the hood clearly too big for a small head.

Yes… that made Ran thought again. His sister had been a regular visitor of the accursed woods. She insisted that the Forest was clean. Or was it because the Seekers were…somehow afraid of her?

Every two weeks she would venture into the Forest (though not deep into, only at the borders) to gather medicinal herbs (her sense of smell was astonishingly sensitive!) for their aging parents. Aya once heard her father complaining of sore feet and she promised that she would find some cure to soothe his pains. At first her father didn't really believe her, she was blind and medicine was not taught, so how could she possibly know what herbs to get? But, surprises of all surprises, she did come up with a soothing cure! When asked how, she just joked and said, "I have green fingers possibly!" Again, this was another part of Aya Ran envied so much. He simply loved his sister so, so much.

"I…I'm sor— "

A sudden disturbance of one of the nearby bushes caught Aya's attention.

"It's alright," She patted his head quickly, distracted, "By the way, I think going home now is more important then this. We should get going." Aya's blind eyes searched the area behind Ran whilst talking, pulling her younger brother closer to her.

"_I wonder what… was that. The sound of it—"_

"Is there anything wrong?" Ran asked with a concerned look.

"No-no. Let's go." Aya turned and pulled Ran with her by his small palm. He took her lantern and clamped his hand with hers, leading the way home.

**XXXXXX**

"We're back!"

"We're sorry to be late!"

Both siblings had exclaimed at the same perfect timing. Aya chuckled at the coincidence. Ran looked around the house instead.

"Nobody's home!" Her brother pointed out. She noticed the unusual silence too and sniffed lightly, inhaling the delicious goodness of the dinner set on the dining table.

"I'm so hungry…" Ran started towards the table.

"Shh!" Aya waved her stick warningly.

"Sorry." An apology was mumbled hastily. "Where do you think Mother went?"

"What shape the moon holds tonight, Ran?" Aya ignored the earlier question and asked hers instead. She spoke with a tone filled with importance, as if the moon's shape affects their future. Light running footsteps were heard, going into a direction away from her. They stopped, leaving the over powering silence to flood the room again. "_Too long."_ Then she knew her little brother was trying not to tell her.

**XXXXXX**

Seekers feed on human blood every full moon, when they were at their strongest. A night of terror taught the Village something to remember for life – to offer human sacrifices. The Fujimiyas were fortunate to be staying away from the Village. But distance did not help lessen the pain for Aya.

Ran remembered that night vividly. The night when the sky had cried so much… The night when Aya was on the verge of… Death. It was really weird, the fact how Aya's health was connected only to this day. It happened twice whenever the moon is full. When they left that night to feed on more human (after that boy's carelessness), she was terribly ill.

He was so scared to lose Aya. The way she laid so still on the bed, face hung full of hot beads of sweats, palms clenched into a tight ball and her rapid sharp intakes of air scares him. He remembered kneeling beside her bed, murmuring prayers of hope. The rain added onto the coldness the room had, causing Aya to shiver and suffer at the same time.

**XXXXXX**

"What difference does it make if I tell you, Sis? I'm scared."

"Don't be. I survived that night, didn't I?"

"How – "

"Shhh. Let's not talk about this now. Finding our parents are more important."

"Maybe they just went to the backyard to gather water."

"I think they've been eaten by the Seekers, dear brother." Aya stood firm on her stand. She was very sure their parents were long gone dead.

"NO! Everything looks fine here!" Ran retorted back, glaring at his sister.

"My, you talked too much." She rested her index finger on her chin, as if thinking of other possible reasons to bring Ran to the fact that their parents were really dead.

"Listen to me, Ran. Let's go to the backyard. I sense something fishy going on back there…" Upon finishing her say, she started walking calmly, holding onto her trusty walking stick and went towards the direction leading to the backdoor.

Ran bit onto his lower lip, trying hard to contain his mixed emotions within him. He felt his eyes becoming a little moist. Why, why must he be so weak! Why are his eyes always getting wet and ready to pour tears out? Why can't he be born with the bravery his sister had? He swallowed hard, with a will to push those overwhelming feelings down, down into his stomach, hoping they could help 'digest' it. His sister's shadow was already still and waiting for him to join her.

Letting out a big sigh to help cool him down, Ran hurriedly dried his face and ran over.

**XXXXXX**

An annoying creak from the opening door was emitted. It hadn't been noticed until now since the whole house was so pin-drop quiet. Normally, the whole house would be so alive with noise, happy or sad. The creak was unnoticeable, unimportant. The little redheaded boy gulped and hid behind his sister. He was really scared now, visibly shaking with fear. Yet his sister was the total opposite - cool, calm and not easily afraid of anything! The thought of this made Ran bowed with shame.

How useless he was, he thought. Or so.

The door pushed ajar left reasonable space for the moonlight to shine through, but also it let the Seekers' 'fingers' in. They were not exactly fingers, it was stretchable slender plant-like stems, which had elasticity like a rubber band as it shot so fast towards them, aiming for Aya actually and begun wrapping itself around her neck and waist.

"AYA!" Her brother was so taken aback with the 'fingers' that had dragged her forcefully out into the backyard, causing her to drop her walking stick and was knocked unconscious against the doorframe for lifting her too high. Ran must have grabbed onto his sister's dress too tightly. He looked down to see what was left in his hands – torn pieces of her dress ends.

He then looked out to see them dragging his beloved sister's limp body along the rough grassy field, leaving mud stains on her legs and messing up her neatly bun-tied hair. As his eyes left her, he saw something so morbid, so gruesome he had seen in his entire life.

The Seekers were still feeding on his parents' innards. Bloody intestines dangled from the only opening the cloak had – the huge and always-seemed-to-be-dark hood. Trails of dried blood stained the cloak while more fresh blood trickled down them when they took another bite. Around them, the ground was covered with entrails, torn torsos and body parts they found it inedible. One of them was holding on a head as it fed on the visibly dangling esophagus.

Ran felt a rush of vomit quickly building up in his throat and not too long he dashed into a corner near him, collapsed onto his shaky knees and vomited. He slammed both his hands onto the wall in front of him for support but didn't know something in him was going to change that night.

His inner voice in his mind was screaming with agony. Why did Aya always have to be right? How was she doing it – knowing everything and nothing slipped from her sharp sense. Was blindness a gift or curse? His mind was confused with so many unanswered thoughts that were flooding fast.

Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. There wasn't a need to keep it back now. Somehow he thought crying might be good. He hadn't any other ideas to do anything to help. All he wanted was to avoid looking back outside.

Ran then felt something icy prickling his hands on the wall. He looked up and gapped in shock. Ice, cold hard ice, was forming from both his numbed hand. The area around his palms was covered with shiny sheet of ice, and still growing bigger. The sight of him forming ice was something so strangely new he had no other idea how it came about and just stared dumbfounded. He tried tugging both his palms off the wall. It stuck there like glue. He got really desperate. Somehow this ice forming was taking energy from him. He felt his vision sometimes blurring out for seconds before regaining back to normal. Not a good sign.

"A…Aya." Ran knew it was useless to call but nothing else came up in his mind except his sister's name.

Feeling like a fool, he turned his head left to see the Seekers while being rooted there because of his palms.

He shouldn't have turned.

He should have turned.

Why didn't his brain tell him to turn earlier?

Only to know the Seekers were starting to head back to Black Forest with his sister. This fueled more determination in him to pull his stuck palms off the wall, resulting in a pair of sore red ice-bitten hands and a damaged wall. But this wasn't his main concern.

Soon he found himself speeding after the Seekers, especially the one who had dragged his sister cruelly on the ground and still it was. Aya looked so much dirtier now and was still knocked out cold.

"LET GO OF MY SISTER!" He yelled when the distance between him and the targeted Seeker was close, and jumped forward onto it, much to his surprise at his own actions. The Seeker couldn't turn around in time to face Ran, so the boy ended up clinging onto its' back.

The very moment Ran set his hands on its' cloak, more strange ice spread fast from his palm. The Seeker screeched, its' tentacles instantly shrinking away from Aya's body, leaving her behind. Ran clung onto it tighter, seeing that the ice was sort of torturing it, even though the new wave of throbbing headache was distracting. Droplets of sweat trickled down his face. Ran's eyes narrowed at the pain searing through his head – the headache was going to kill his brain anytime soon.

This newly found power was helping indeed but coincidentally, it was draining energy from him while his mind decided to ponder what in the world was going on with him and this ice stuff. He had a hard time concentrating on each.

Then that was it. The Seeker was fully frozen stiff now. The tip of its hood was the last uncovered spot.

"_Good. I hope it dies now…" _Ran grimaced at the consecutive thought of it awaking and breaking the hard shiny ice casing.

He loosened his grip, slipped down a bit and gravity pulled him back down onto the grass. His legs trembled with tiredness, and the muscles felt sore. He lifted both his hands and shuddered. Both his palms were swollen red!

"_This is the price to pay?"_

Numbness wore off quickly and soon Ran found them tingling with pain. Sensational pain. A slight twitch and those sensitive nerves in his fingers doubled the pain.

But Ran didn't have to start sobbing over the pain for long. Out of the corner of his right eye, more extended rubber-like black tentacles shot past him and further behind until it started wrapping around on something –or someone- nosily.

"… _Aya!"_

He twisted his head towards the sound, a little too quickly, and saw it had fully wrapped Aya's body, leaving her head lolling lifelessly. Darting towards his sister, no matter how tired his legs were, saving his sister was definitely more important. He wondered where all his strength came from.

The slimy tentacles were dragging Aya further away from Ran who was running frantically. It was approaching the dangling wood bridge and the boy was gasping for breath. No, no… he had to catch up. This wasn't going to happen – losing his sister. How would he survive alone? Alone in this strange world… These thoughts gave strength and a slight boost to run, run like the wind.

"SISTERRRRR!" He yelled and the gust of wind carried it with the flow. He reached the start of the bridge. Her body was halfway across the bridge. Ran stretched his right arm out, his still swollen fingers longing to grab the faraway lifeless figure being dragged cruelly across the bridge. A pain shot through his palm, but was ignored.

The old bridge groaned and creaked under the weight of the boy, the girl and those fat tentacles.

It was then one Seeker decided to end the final meeting between them. When Ran was reaching the mid bridge and Aya was at the other end, it extended one big long tentacle warningly towards Ran, who was startled. It wavered teasingly in front of him before slamming it on the bridge, breaking the sole connection between the dangerous valley. Thousands of broken wood pieces flew upwards, everywhere in different direction. Ran felt the bridge's support slipping but was so shocked he stood rooted on the spot, falling together with the shattered bridge. He just stared at it with wide horrified eyes. Gravity pulled them down, down…down.

"_This is it? This is it? This is it? This -" _His thoughts repeated and replayed those words. And then he snapped.

"AYAAA!" He shouted and cried. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. Vision was blurred.

"AYAAAAAA! AYAAAA! AYAAAAA! NOOO!" He cried with vain now.

The Seeker smashed up the remaining bridge before leaving the scene with his sister, still bounded up.

Ran had never thought he would die this young.

Ran had never seen the whole world.

Ran had never felt wind could be this frightfully cold now.

His heart skipped beating several times. But soon it might just stopped forever. He was facing the dark, dark sky now, falling backwards.

The sky became smaller and smaller the deeper he fall. Wind rushed upwards against his ears, playing with his crimson ear tails.

Strangely the sky was the last thing he was going to see… yet the sky looked as if it rejected him. It's leaving him. Leaving him to die, to rot in this valley.

He had enough. Nobody except his family cared for him in this world. The one who loved him so much was going to die too.

Slowly the world became smaller in his sight as he closes his eyes, sensing the end was nearing. The sky was far and thundered. Storm was brewing for this tragic end of a family.

Towards the end, the gravity pull was stronger and the fall accelerated. Ran's body hit the cool Crystal River with a big noisy splash. Immediately several huge jagged spike-like ices shot out in different directions from the spot he landed, imprisoning the small boy in it. Spectacular sight, the river now flowing around it and the boy seemed to be asleep in it.

Ran had no idea about this. His last thought was –

'_Maybe I can meet my family in Heaven – or Hell –."_

Before the **_Ice Within_** him shut his mind and soul, stopping his time, freezing him. A few raindrops pelted the icy spikes but were froze and integrated into it, becoming part of Ran.

_**Chapter 2 – Coming Soon.

* * *

**_

**Author's Notes:** Ah, finally Chapter 1 has ended. For my own record, it took me 3 months to get fully comfortable with my desired Chapter 1. 2 months of brainstorming in between school breaks, lunch breaks, and even when before I go to sleep. Crazy? Crazy. 1 month of typing, correcting and … you know. It took really long because, because I love, LOVE how this story is going to get about. Being a Chinese and having watched lots of dramas associated with ancient China, I've decided to attempt on one, fully based on my crazy imaginative mind. Many of the original names of places are NOT real. Haha. Yes, truly. Who would be lame enough to name a river 'Crystal River' or a forest 'Black Forest'? But these names are thought in Chinese. Sometimes when Ran calls for his sister, I would imagine him calling in Chinese, 'Jie Jie!'.

The Seekers are something like those hooded creatures in LOTR (or maybe even Harry Potter) except they do not shoot extendable tentacles from their long sleeves. Hehe.

Sorry if someone might find it weird that Aya is now the older sister and Ran is the younger brother. After all, Ran _needed_ some love. (laughs)

Okays! I've ranted long enough. Has my notes annoyed anyone so far?

Just another small, _small_ note - Readers of '**HANABI**' have to wait awhile. Sorry! **Daybreak** just came to me one fine day when I was writing **HANABI**. So, oops.

Please **review**, ne? It makes every writer happy and motivated.

See you in Chapter 2!


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